The nasty winter weather has created massive potholes which are popping up everywhere. In fact, the Lake Erie monster could live in one pothole on Lorain avenue. Missy Peters lives on West 130 StreetMore >>

The nasty winter weather has created massive potholes which are popping up everywhere.

In fact, the Lake Erie monster could live in one pothole on Lorain avenue.More >>

Every year, during the winter and spring months, the City of Cleveland is confronted with the issue of an increasing number of potholes developing throughout the City. Freeze/thaw cycles and frequent snow plowing can damage the streets. This year has been particularly challenging for the Division of Streets as snowfall and extreme cold temperatures have been more severe than recent years.

Nonetheless, when the weather permits, the Division of Streets deploys six to eight crews per day to patch potholes throughout the City. So far in this year, the Division of Streets has utilized 430 tons of hot asphalt and 420 tons of cold patch asphalt. In addition to daily crews, the City is taking the additional steps.

Immediate Protections

Tuesday, the Division of Streets continued to identify the areas with the worst pothole issues. The following streets and corresponding protections were taken:

Payne Avenue over I-90 was closed for partial deck repairs.

The West 53rd Street Bridge is scheduled to be closed from Clark to Walworth for repairs.

In the 1200 block of Fairhill, protection barrels were placed at various locations.

At East 116th Street south of Buckeye Avenue, protection barrels were placed at various locations.

Contracting Additional Patch Crews

The Division of Streets will finalize agreements with private contractors to supplement City repair crews with necessary patching.

Concrete Street Resurfacing

The best way to repair concrete streets, such as Rocky River Drive and West 117th Street, both of which have seen significant damage this season, is to pour concrete, which requires a minimum of two days with above freezing temperatures. Where necessary, concrete streets will receive "immediate protection" as noted above. Currently, the northbound and southbound lanes on Rocky River Drive north of Puritas Avenue and the northbound lanes of West 117th Street, south of Lorain Avenue are closed for necessary repairs, weather permitting.

Pothole Repair 101

The Division of Streets utilizes both cold patch and hot asphalt to repair potholes; however, these repairs are only possible when the weather conditions are right. The cold patch method is primarily used to make critical repairs when it is not warm enough to use hot asphalt. Cold patch, which is made from an aggregate of asphaltic material, is pliable in cold, dry weather.

The best method to repair potholes is to use hot asphalt and the ideal time for these repairs is on dry days when the temperature is at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above. The Division of Streets is capable of making their own hot asphalt during the winter when hot asphalt plants are closed, but the amount is often insufficient to cover all the necessary repairs. Beginning April 1st, hot asphalt plants begin their production and the Division of Streets is able to increase the amount of repairs possible.

Today, the City's repair crews fixed potholes at the following locations: